Philip Houska The combination of sportswear and fitness apps is very close. Last year she felt it next to Adidas, which bought the popular running app Runtastic, also Under Armour, which took MyFitnessPal and Endomondo under its wing. Japanese sporting goods manufacturer Asics has not been left behind and joined these world-famous companies by acquiring one of the most popular running apps, Runkeeper.
“The future of fitness brands is not just about physical products, that much is clear. When you combine a digital fitness platform with a top sports apparel and footwear manufacturer, you can create a whole new kind of fitness brand that has a deeper and more intimate relationship with customers.” comments the acquisition by Runkeeper founder and CEO Jason Jacobs.
In his post, he mentioned, among other things, that he and Asics share not only great enthusiasm for the cause, but also a strong bond and support. He also reported that runners liked the equipment from Asics the most in conjunction with the official Shoe Tracker from Runkeeper.
Connecting fitness apps and sports equipment is certainly a procedure that leads to success. In addition to Adidas and Under Armour, Nike is also active in this area, offering the FuelBand fitness tracker and the Nike+ running app, which is still very popular among runners compared to the FuelBand wristband.
It should be added that the association with Asics may be vital for Runkeeper, as the company had to lay off nearly a third of its staff last summer in order to focus more on profit than growing its user base.
